This application claims the benefit of a Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-370882 filed Dec. 5, 2001, in the Japanese Patent office, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to device information acquiring methods, server apparatuses and computer-readable storage media, and more particularly to a device information acquiring method for enabling a user to acquire, via a network, device information which is related to a device used by the user, a server apparatus for sending device information requested by the user via a network, and a computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing a computer to enable device information to be acquired by such a device information acquiring method.
In computer systems, various devices such as printers, display units and scanners are connected to one or a plurality of computers via a network such as a local area network (LAN). In order for a computer in the computer system to use the device connected to the network, the computer must be installed with a driver software for driving the device. For example, a printer driver for driving a desired printer must be installed in the computer in order for this computer to use the desired printer.
Each device can be identified by a model name or identification number of the device. Hence, if the computer is not yet installed with the printer driver for driving the desired printer, for example, the user must acquire the printer driver based on the model name or identification number of the desired printer. Similarly, if the printer driver for driving the desired printer is already installed in the computer but the user wishes to update the printer driver to a most updated version, for example, the user must acquire printer driver updating information based on the model name or identification number of the desired printer.
In this specification, the model name or identification number of the device, a device driver for driving the device, and device driver updating information for updating the device driver of the device will be referred to as “device information”.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, when using a printer by connecting the printer to a personal computer (PC), it is necessary to install a printer driver for driving the printer in the personal computer. Generally, the printer driver is recorded on a CD-ROM or the like, and is provided by a printer vendor together with the printer. In some cases, the printer driver is pre-installed within an operating system (OS) such as WINDOWS (registered trademark) which is used by the personal computer.
Improvements are constantly made, and thus, new versions of the same printer driver are constantly developed. Hence, the printer vendor often provides a Web site for accepting requests from the users to download a most recent version of the printer driver for various printer models.
Recently, LANs are often set up in offices, and a plurality of printers and a plurality of computers are connected to such a LAN, so that each computer may use one or more printers connected to the LAN, as long as the printer driver therefor is installed in the computer. The plurality of printers connected to the LAN are not identical in most cases, and different printer models are connected to the LAN. But if the computer is not installed with the printer driver for the desired printer which is to be used, the user must acquire the printer driver for the desired printer.
It is normally the case that a large number of printer models having similar printer model names or identification numbers are provided by the same printer vendor. Hence, for the general user, it requires a troublesome, time-consuming and often difficult task of checking which printer models can be used by the user's computer, and which printer models are provided by the printer vendor, when the user wishes to install the printer driver for the desired printer or to update the installed printer driver for the desired printer to the most recent version.
In addition, even after the user identifies the printer models usable by the user's computer and also identifies the printer vendor who provides the identified printer models, the user must then carry out the troublesome, time-consuming and often difficult task of selecting the correct printer driver or the correct printer driver updating information on the Web site of the identified printer vendor. On the Web site of the identified printer vendor, a large number of printer models and corresponding printer drivers are listed. But since the printer driver differs for each operating system (OS) with which the printer driver is to operate, a plurality of kinds of printer drivers are listed, one for each operating system (OS), even for the same printer model. Moreover, a large number of printer driver updating information is listed for each printer driver, including each kind of printer driver, from the oldest to the most recent version. Therefore, a large burden is put on the user to select the correct printer driver or the correct printer driver updating information from the extremely large amount of information provided on the Web site of the printer vendor.
On the other hand, a network communication environment setting system is proposed in a Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-117834. The proposed system acquires client information related to a computer (client) which is connected to a network, and searches for printers which are usable by the client. A specific printer is selected from the usable printers, and printer information of the specific printer is acquired so as to install a printer driver for the specific printer in the client, in order to facilitate the setting of a communication environment for the client.
However, the proposed system only vaguely describes the acquiring of the client information and the installing of the printer driver, and does not describe specific means or details of the client information acquisition and the printer driver installment. In other words, the prior art does not provide concrete means for easily acquiring the printer driver and the printer driver updating information from a Web site of a printer vendor.